Raymond Carver's Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is a story about a man and a woman arguing about their son. Separation, challenges, tensions, and a lack of contact are all themes in this novel.
The Setting
The plot continues with an unidentified male unpacking in isolation as the woman watches. This predicts the separation of the characters. The first line explains how the temperature shifted, causing snow to melt into polluted water. In certain ways, this is symbolic. Snow is typically white, which reflects innocence. The melting of now to dirty water implies that the once healthy relationship is slowly getting ruined. Lighting also plays a part in the setting of the narrative. As the story starts, the audience learns that it was getting dark. This is also a foreshadowing act as later on two characters are seen as they struggle with the child.
The Broken Flower Pot
As the parents fight over the baby, the flower pot falls and breaks. It is foreshadowing for what may happen later. Although not explicitly written, it may be interpreted as the baby getting hurt following this pulling. Baby might break an arm which also symbolizes the ruined relationship between the parents.
The Impact of Conflict
A conflict often brings damage to people if not handled well. Often the innocent gets hurt. This can be seen as the baby being the center of the family is emotionally hurt during this fighting. The baby is in the middle of this as the parents are fighting. Carver is smart enough not to involve names so that the story can be relatable to the audience. There are many broken homes and often the children are in the middle of it, and they end up getting hurt.
Work Cited
Carver, Raymond. “Popular Mechanics.” Sudden Fiction: American Short-Short Stories. Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1986, pp. 68-69.
